Lady LUX

An investment banker by day, jewelry designer by night, Erin Håkansson hasn’t let her lack of formal training stop her one bit. Growing up with an artist mother, she learned to make jewelry at a young age. Today, her love of jewelry has blossomed into something far more than just a pastime.

“I've always been an extremely creative person and as an investment banker, I felt like I was really missing that creative outlet in my life, which is why I began creating jewelry,” Håkansson explained. “It really started as a personal hobby, but quickly grew into something more which is really amazing.”

Håkansson’s foray into design came when she was preparing for her wedding in 2004 and decided to craft the jewelry for her bridesmaids – down to picking all the stones herself. During her honeymoon, keyed up by the fun she had in designing the pieces and the fantastic reception the jewelry had received, she resolved to create her own jewelry company. She returned home, made a website and launched a collection later that year.

“I just had a real passion for it. I really enjoyed making the jewelry and doing the designing and finding the different stones,” Håkansson said. “So that was when I just decided to go ahead and try it.”

She got her feet wet selling to friends and family, with her first sale in 2004 and her first trunk show in 2005. Now her work is sold in shops throughout San Francisco, and she is looking forward to creating an Amazon store this month. Her new 30-piece line launched a few weeks ago and is available online.

Having a Swedish husband, Håkansson is often traveling around Europe and takes full advantage of having opportunities to check out the latest European fashions.

“I'm always inspired by my travels and taking in everything around me,” Håkansson said, noting her propensity to snap pictures of whatever moves her. “When I see something that inspires me, I'm the first person to try it, even when it's completely out of my comfort zone. Someone who normally wears black should dare to add a pop of color through bold accessories. That's the type of idea I try to instill through my jewelry.”

Targeting women looking for versatile accessories, her elegant yet simple pieces can be worn for either day or night, such as to the office and then for cocktails.

“I go for chunky delicate,” Håkansson said of her aesthetic. “I try to mix different stones and metals and to give people options. I started out doing very similar things — a chunky necklace, strung beads — but now I have moved into mixing things.”

Håkansson hand selects all her materials, gravitating toward semi-precious and precious stones such as sapphires, rubies and aquamarines — anything with a lot of color. She chooses pieces simply for how they strike her.

“When I buy stuff, I don’t necessarily have a piece in mind, but I can see a piece and imagine several different ways I can use it,” Håkansson explained.

Although she creates a range of necklaces and earrings, she reports her best sellers are her reversible necklaces that can be worn two ways: “It just gives people more options and more bang for their buck. That’s the direction I’m moving – giving people more options.”

Håkansson has found her life philosophy of “dare to be different” influences the way she approaches her designs.

“I’m always willing to try new things and that extends to my wardrobe and fashion choices as well,” the designer noted.

Believing that the market is saturated with necklaces that are either sterling silver or a single hue, Håkansson tries to give people a burst of color.

“I think there is a lot of stuff like (beaded necklaces) out on the marketplace now,” she said. “So I have focused more on chain necklaces and more delicate pieces and just mixing up stones and chains and different components.”

The designer always tries out her designs on friends before making them part of her collection. If they love the piece, she keeps it. If they don’t, she tosses it.

“Fashion is very subjective and people have different tastes, so what you think is interesting may not be interesting to someone else,” Håkansson maintained. “So I think it is really good to always get feedback on the direction you are heading and see if it is going to fly or not.”

Since she was a child living in Tucson, Ariz., the designer has loved to experiment – especially when it comes to color.

“I would always wear a lot of brightly colored earrings and necklaces and things like that,” Håkansson said. “So I have always had a lot of influence of color and sunshine and happy things.”

The key to selling jewelry, she believes, is having customers try the accessories on, which allows them to see how they can wear the pieces.

“The best sales have always come through stores, through trunk shows, people coming over to my house to try things on,” Håkansson said. “Once they see it and can try it on, it’s like ‘Yes, I love it. This is awesome.’”

Experience Erin Håkansson's entire line of jewelry on her website, www.erinhakansson.com

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Fashion / Features